Subaru Named `Most Improved Car Company' in the World
14 October 1999
Subaru Named `Most Improved Car Company' in the World; Global Automotive Awards Presented by Financial Times (FT) CHERRY HILL, N.J., Oct. 12 -- Subaru has been named "Most
Improved Car Company" at the 1999 Global Automotive Awards ceremony sponsored
by the London-based Financial Times Automotive World magazine. The
publication created this particular award to honor the company or
organization, which, in the opinion of the judges, had achieved the greatest
improvement in its position in recent years.
"Subaru is to be congratulated for an excellent re-positioning, over the
past year especially. Its product lineup has become exciting and distinctive
-- and those models have generated a set of very loyal customers," noted
Andrew Hunter, head of strategy for the Automotive, Industrial, Transportation
group within Andersen Consulting and one of the award judges.
Subaru beat out several other auto companies including Porsche, Jaguar and
Skoda, all of which were finalists for "The Most Improved Car Company" award.
The inaugural awards, which included 10 other categories, were presented on
September 15 during the Frankfurt Motor Show.
"The dramatic turnaround of the Subaru brand stems from having a clear
vision of where our brand fits in this very competitive and dynamic
marketplace," stated George T. Muller, president and chief operating officer
for Subaru of America, Inc. "By focusing on what we do best -- all-wheel
drive -- and combining that with innovative thinking like the Subaru Outback,
a `crossover' passenger car based SUV, Subaru has not only reinvented itself,
it's also helped to pioneer one of the hottest trends in today's market."
Sponsored by Andersen Consulting, the FT Global Automotive Awards were
created to acknowledge those organizations and individuals pioneering best
practices and advanced developments leading to real excellence in management,
brand stewardship or world-class product design.
Judging was carried out by an international panel of leading experts
including: Professor Garel Rhys of Cardiff Business School; Jesse Crosse,
editor of FT Automotive Environment newsletter; Andrew Hunter of Andersen
Consulting; John Griffiths, automotive industry correspondent for the
Financial Times; Tony Lewin, editor of FT Automotive World; Dr. Nick Oliver of
the Judge Institute, Cambridge University, and Max Pemberton, an independent
automotive analyst and author of many studies on the automotive industry.
Subaru of America, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy
Industries, Ltd., of Japan. Over the past six years, Subaru has nearly
tripled its revenue in the US and increased its unit sales by more than 50
percent, thus placing it among the fastest growing brands in the automotive
industry.
Headquartered near Philadelphia, the company markets and distributes
Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of nearly 600
franchised dealers across the United States. The Outback and Legacy models
sold in the United States are manufactured at the company's American
manufacturing plant, Subaru-Isuzu Automotive, Inc., near Lafayette, Ind.
Financial Times Automotive publishes a wide portfolio of authoritative
products tailored to the needs of senior executives. Written by industry
experts after extensive research its eight newsletters, thirty-plus reports
and its global magazine are renowned in the automotive industry as among the
best sources for reliable and authoritative analysis.
For more information, contact Richard Marshall of Subaru of America,
856-488-3327, or Catherine MacSweeney of Financial Times (UK),
+44-171-873-3162.
